Girl Group Member Aiching, Dubbed ‘Little BoA,’ in Parents’ Company Wage-Arrears Controversy Right After Debut

[Financial News]   The mother of Aiching (13), a member of girl group A2O LITE, launched by SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man, has admitted responsibility and apologized amid allegations that a company run by Aiching’s parents has failed to pay its employees’ wages.
On the 14th, Aiching’s mother posted a statement on Weibo, a social networking service (SNS), saying, “I sincerely apologize for causing concern over recent matters related to me.”
Aiching’s mother said, “I previously ran an education-related business, but as its operating conditions deteriorated sharply, the company fell into serious financial difficulties, leading to a debt dispute. Whatever the circumstances, failing to pay amounts owed on time is a wrongdoing that I must face and take responsibility for. I sincerely apologize to everyone who has been harmed as a result.”
She added, “I am contacting the parties involved one by one to discuss ways to resolve the matter and am continuing to communicate with them. I will not evade responsibility and will see it through until all the issues are resolved.”
However, she stressed, “This is an issue for us, her parents, to take responsibility for and resolve appropriately. My child has nothing to do with the business I previously ran or the related disputes.”
On the 12th, Lee Soo-man held a joint debut showcase for boy group A2O SOUL and A2O LITE at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The member who drew particular attention was Aiching, the youngest member of A2O LITE. Aiching, who is 13, drew attention with her dancing, which evoked singer BoA’s early debut days.
But immediately after the group’s debut, allegations that a company run by Aiching’s parents had failed to pay wages spread, particularly across Chinese online communities.
According to local media outlets including Dahebao, former employees of a Beijing-based education company where Aiching’s mother is the CEO and her father is an auditor alleged that the company had failed to pay wages since 2024. They said the parties agreed to repayment in installments through labor arbitration, but the company made payments for only three months before falling behind again.
A corporate information platform also showed two court enforcement cases listing the company and Aiching’s parents as parties subject to enforcement. The enforcement amount was approximately 3.45 million yuan (about 690 million won); it was not disclosed whether this represented unpaid wages.
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